Newsletter
Unconfirmed reports are saying that the latest update to the Android operating system–“Froyo,” or version 2.2–should be hitting the Motorola Droid sometime in the next two weeks. Motorola initially stated that the update would be happening “sometime this summer,” and it appears that its initial Droid phone will be getting first dibs.
However, don’t erroneously assume that the update applies to all Motorola Droid phones–we’re talking about the to-be-released Droid X device that’s scheduled to ship July 15. According to a post on Droidforums.net, the Droid X will receive its bump up to the 2.2 version of the Android operating system at some point in August.
Jumping carriers, Sprint’s HTC EVO 4G smartphone should see an update to 2.2 Froyo, “in the near future,” according to a recent statement by the company. There’s been no word as to when Froyo’s coming to HTC’s Droid Incredible, but the company insists that it’s on the way at some point in the second half of the year.
For the most part, a number of carriers and manufacturers are yet-undecided about their Froyo rollouts–Samsung’s Galaxy S devices will receive it somewhere down the line, as will the DellStreak and HTC’s Legend, Desire, and Wildfire devices. T-Mobile’s MyTouch line of smartphones should also get Froyo by the end of the year, but that’s as specific of a timetable as has been announced.
The only smartphone that’s received an official Froyo rollout has been, naturally, Google’s own Nexus One device. On the flip side, a number of phones have been ruled out of Android 2.2: Don’t expect to see Froyo hit T-Mobile’s G1 device, HTC’s Hero, nor Samsung’s Moment.
These devices will be missing out on the OS update’s more noteworthy features, including:
- Performance boosts
- Portable Wi-Fi hotspot functionality
- Automatic application updates
- Desktop-based music streaming
- USB-based tethering
- Adobe Flash and Adobe Air support
- New camera controls
- New Exchange features, including Remote Wipe, Calendars, and Auto-Discovery
Be sure to check out PCMag’s hands-on experience with the new Froyo update for even more inklings as to what’s heading your way… at some nebulous point in the future!